Popular baby names in North Carolina, 1939

The most popular baby names in North Carolina in 1939 were Mary for girls (2,288 babies) and James for boys (3,043). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 73,030 babies born in North Carolina in 1939 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in North Carolina in 1939

Names given at least 15 times in North Carolina that year and at least twice as common as in the US as a whole.

Girls

Johnsie: 21 babies, 25× the national rate
Pattie: 26 babies, 7.2× the national rate
Libby: 20 babies, 6.4× the national rate
Lessie: 31 babies, 6.2× the national rate
Peggie: 42 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Doretha: 25 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Donnie: 20 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Shelba: 33 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Shelby: 188 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Maggie: 92 babies, 4.8× the national rate

Boys

Linwood: 58 babies, 10.8× the national rate
Haywood: 35 babies, 10.3× the national rate
Lacy: 26 babies, 9.2× the national rate
Graham: 22 babies, 7.8× the national rate
Wade: 83 babies, 7.3× the national rate
Shelton: 21 babies, 6.8× the national rate
Boyce: 20 babies, 6.4× the national rate
Jasper: 44 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Thurman: 45 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Everette: 21 babies, 5× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in North Carolina, 1939

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1938	US rank
1	Mary	2,288	–	1
2	Betty	1,466	–	4
3	Barbara	1,272	–	2
4	Shirley	1,017	–	5
5	Nancy	679	↑1	7
6	Margaret	658	↑2	10
7	Dorothy	638	↓2	9
8	Carolyn	590	↑2	14
9	Annie	589	–	54
10	Peggy	582	↓3	34
11	Patricia	537	↑2	3
12	Doris	533	–	29
13	Martha	505	↓2	27
14	Joyce	467	↑1	12
15	Helen	449	↑1	16
16	Frances	429	↓2	26
17	Linda	425	↑10	15
18	Elizabeth	384	↓1	18
19	Alice	360	–	31
20	Sarah	333	↓2	68
21	Virginia	333	↓1	21
22	Ruby	297	↓1	67
23	Ruth	288	↓1	22
24	Mildred	272	–	55
25	Sylvia	254	–	62
26	Edna	251	↑5	81
27	Evelyn	245	↓1	40
28	Geraldine	238	↑9	41
29	Janice	238	↓1	24
30	Jean	225	↓1	32
31	Phyllis	223	↑17	30
32	Patsy	218	↓2	56
33	Carol	215	↑2	6
34	Judy	215	new	28
35	Judith	206	new	8
36	Emma	199	↑2	89
37	Ann	193	↓3	33
38	Rebecca	189	↓2	>100
39	Shelby	188	↓16	>100
40	Norma	187	↑2	38
41	Lois	184	↓9	35
42	Gloria	180	new	36
43	Hazel	179	↓10	>100
44	Louise	172	↓5	59
45	Rachel	172	↑1	>100
46	Joan	170	new	11
47	Ella	164	new	>100
48	Clara	161	↓3	>100
49	Margie	161	↓2	>100
50	Jo	160	new	70

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1938	US rank
1	James	3,043	–	2
2	William	1,844	–	4
3	Robert	1,513	–	1
4	John	1,414	–	3
5	Charles	1,279	–	6
6	Bobby	771	–	29
7	Thomas	666	–	9
8	Jerry	651	↑4	16
9	George	634	–	11
10	David	629	↓2	7
11	Donald	556	↓1	8
12	Billy	550	↓1	24
13	Joseph	486	↑2	12
14	Willie	486	↓1	33
15	Richard	484	↓1	5
16	Larry	457	↑5	14
17	Kenneth	415	↑3	13
18	Jimmy	371	↑1	43
19	Paul	364	↑4	17
20	Edward	361	↓2	15
21	Harold	361	↓5	23
22	Joe	330	↓5	27
23	Roy	317	↑2	42
24	Henry	295	–	31
25	Johnny	289	↑1	62
26	Walter	288	↓4	25
27	Frank	262	↑10	20
28	Carl	255	↓1	30
29	Ronald	232	↑1	10
30	Fred	221	↓2	40
31	Ralph	220	↑3	35
32	Jack	219	↓3	26
33	Samuel	217	–	63
34	Charlie	209	↓3	>100
35	Clarence	193	↓3	60
36	Wayne	193	↑8	39
37	Raymond	186	↑1	22
38	Earl	181	↓2	50
39	Ernest	181	–	55
40	Howard	179	↓5	47
41	Eugene	170	↓1	37
42	Clyde	163	↑8	>100
43	Jesse	162	↑5	99
44	Albert	160	↑2	41
45	Melvin	160	↑2	51
46	Marvin	159	↓3	52
47	Tommy	155	new	77
48	Gene	151	↓3	69
49	Leroy	143	new	61
50	Roger	137	new	28

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